Daily Yellowstone journal., 1887-10-30
THE BURNT CHESTNUT.

"1'his is the famous Burnt Chestnut
runway" said Maj. Silas Haight, known
all over the commonwealth as ''the Lone
Fisherman Of Kettle Greek" This is
the fav ute spot fer deer hunters an it's
known fur an near ez Burnt Chestnut
runway. though tn hain't no more sign
of a burnt chestnut here nav thin tn is
on that flat rock yonder. Right whar
yon second growth pine is standin'. not
an inch to the left nor to the right, is jist
whar the ol' burnt chestnut stood tht
give this runway its name, years an
years ago an it'll be the ol' Burnt Ches'-
nut runway ez long ~ therz hunter left
10 come here an stan an' take his
chances fer deer.
"Ol Burnt Chestnut! I'd jst like to
hev some q the ol' times over az in th't
I've had on this blame nigh PLAYED out
mountain. Wen | look back AT 'em |
get bumsick all through an ~ lonesome
ez a widdcrcd turtle dove. Tn hain't
nothin nor nobody no more. sonny. an
that 5 fact. That is, not to speak ON.
Therz one or two o the Of boys left Wit. an
wunst in "A vile they manage to strike
out here an p'tend they're kctchn'
fish. an play at huntin' deer. But tn
was hull nest Of us in the rippin' an
tearin OF times an we run the town.
ship, for lis leadin' citizens in them days
was deer an la a'r an painters. Some o
the Of boys d git keerleSs now an then.
an let a ba r ketch hiplock ON EN-. or
give a panther too much rope. an 50
they gradually got chewed up an pulled
in two. Thar We're Pete MuiTcr. come
10 think ON it. He got missed one fall
an didn't never show up with the boys
ag'in. He were fault findin' sort o.
chap, Pete were, an allaz KEEP a iawin'
cause tn want nothin in the woods
wuth tacklin' any more. an he got up
an swore. reg lar ev'ry fall, tht he'd
never he happy till he could git some'rs
whar he could rassel tigers or smnpin' O.
that kind th't were wuth tacklin' an
were likely to stan some show with him.
So wen Pete didn't turn up no more.
we s'posed. o course, he had along his
rifle on his shoulder an pulled out for
some deestric' or other whar tigers was
to come and give 'cn some lessons in
rough an tumbies. We had pooty nigh
forgot all about Pete but the mex spring
arter he Il cut sticks. ez we s'posed. Jim
Barmer sluggcd a big bar over t'long
Persimmen lIoller one day. III want
nuthin differ'nt bout that bar from
any other bar, 'cept th't wen Jim
dressed ii lac un 'arthed biz tin tcrbacker
box IN it, innards. The box was battered
an stained an showed hard times gin
orally, but III want no mistakin' o IL.
Ev'ry body rec 'nizel il as Peter MuiTer's.
an tina; S all TIA were left o. him. The
rest o. him had nat rally disappeared,
but tn hain't no bar as ever stole pig
ez kin digest tin tcrbacker box. sure.
Then thar were GObe Ransom. GObe
want rash, giner ly speakin' but one
nice day in the fall he bit Off a lpetle
more'n he could chaw wen he tried 10
git away with three painters at one time
right over yonder in the Goose Medder
woods. Not e'zac'l that, nuthVr, fer he
did Kit away with EN-. hut the trouble
were, he didn't git away from 'em.
Wen we run ag'in Gobe the mex day he
were layin' on top o one a the biggest
painters ] ever see. Gohr's left hand
were clutrhed on its throat. an his
t'other hand were tight aroun' the han
die Of his huntin' knife an the blade O.
the knife were upto the hit IN the paint
ers heart. OF 10 one side laid two more
big painters both dcadcr'n the Pilgrim
fathers. So were the painter Gole were
layin' on. So were Gobe an tn want
much left o him. nuther
IAN thar were tough an game Jesh
Patten. That poor feller grieved himself
10 death. say some, as measles Is kctchn'.
Jesh stepped inter one o his own bar
traps one day an thar he was. The
jaws o. the trap held him tighter thin a
vise, 'twixt the knee an the ankle Tn
wa no use o his tryin' to git out an
30 he sol down to grin an lear il, hopin
th't some o. us mowt stumble along that
way an help him loose. lie were thar
In the iron jaws o that trap fer day an
a night an nobody showed mp tO give
him lift. Seeing int the chances war
th't he'd hef to starve in the trap Mess
some kind hearted bar should come
along and chaw him, Jrsh sot to
an prayed for bar. A big un kim
snuiIin' an rrowIin' to'nrls the trap
mex day, but 1t seemed to reco'nize Jesh
an were feared to tackle him. josh
act'ally coaxed bruin, with tcann stream.
in down his checks 10 pitch in an' rouse
him an lct him die like white man, but
hcb'arurncd Italian dug ferthc swamp.
Then Jcsh swore th't he wouldn { starve.
but would die game; an 40 hc drawcd
his huutip' knife 10 slash Il cross his
wiz2en pipe, Zen all Of a suddcnt an idec
hit him ia the couk. 'Ste'd O splittin'
his wiz1rn pipe josh just oui'inted his
leg at the knee an crawled 10 his cabin
two miles away. Two or three q MS boys
Dad happened together thar that nornin'
not KNOWN th't Jcsh were missin' II,
come a crawlin' in vile they were thar
an they took charge OF him AN done hin
up in shape. He soon pulled through
but he couldn't Kit over tho idoe o. bein